Half door for automobile inclosures



May 7, 1929- c. E. RUTTAN I HALF DOOR FOR AUTOMOBILE INCLOSIURES FiledMay 26, 1924v .2 sheetssheet .Zeff/av/t [YIM fifa/very,

May 7, 1929. c. E.. RUTTAN y 1,711,857

HALF DOOR FOR AUTOMOBILE INCLOSURES inf/fa i Pza/fafa.

Patented May 7, 1929.

A UNITED STATES i 1,711,857 PATENT oifrlcr..v

CHARLES E. RUTTAN, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. y

HALE DooR'EoR AUTOMOBILE INcLosUREs.'

Application led May '26 This invention has to do generally Vwith `doorsfor automobile inclosures, and is more particularly concerned with doorsand their mountings as used in connection with inclosures for convertingautomobilesof'the socalled open type7 into closed or semi-closed cars.

Certain peculiar problems present themselves in connection with theinstallation of these doors. For example, the available storage spacefor the doors is small, and yet the comparatively large rigid doors mustbe moved out of sight and be protected against breakage when it isdesired to use an equipped automobilev in open condition. The majorportion of the door is in the nature of a glass panel, thus precludingthe use of joints whereby the door mightotherwise be folded into compactform and then vmoved into a comparatively small storage space.

Furthermore, to be of full efficiency, the

doors must be quickly and easily movable from a position of storage intooperative position, and vice versa, without the use of tools and withoutexposing the door to treatment which might result in breaking the glasspanels.

It is very desirable from the standpoint of economical manufacture thatan inclosure door of standard design titcars of different gmakes, andthis immediately brings up the matter of'hinge alinement.

Diferent makes of cars have different types of body door hinges, some ofthem having flush hinges, others having offset hinges, some hinges arein vertical alinement, others are angularly disposed with respectto thevertical, etc. Since the inclosure door (equipped with standardI hinges,for instance) must move pivotally on its hinges coincidently with themovement of the body door on its hinges, it will'be apparent that it isa matter of considerable difliculty to provide a hinge mounting for theinclosure doorl which will be competent to function prop- .erlyirrespective of the type of body door hinge installed on a given car. Y

Therefore, it is among the objects of my invention kto provide aninclosure doorand .a mounting therefor which effectually meets theproblems noted above,as Well as other problems not mentioned.` Inaddition, it

has been one of my purposes to provide a mounting which 1s sightly andneat, and

which does notcall for` the use of attachments of unpleasing appearance.I have provided a structure whereby, when the inclosure door is out ofoperative position, there is little` or no visual levidence from theexterior that the car is of a convertible nature; while, Vwhen the dooris in operative position, the car has the appearance of a permanentlyclosed or semi-closed vehicle.

Generaly' described, the invention consists of a door frame whichincludes a post for hingedly supporting the door, the frame bcingsecured on the vehicle body in such a manner that it is movable from aconcealed position clear of the body doorway into such a position thatit brings its door` into vertical alinement with the body door, and itshinges are brought approximately intoaxial alinement with the body doorhinges. The two doors are then tiedtogether so they swing as one. Y

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, novel means are providedwhereby the hinges of the body door and inclosure door may beconsiderably out of axial alinement without interfering with the properswinging of the composite door; for, during door movement, the vdoorframe is free to move relativeto the car body, so, in effect, the out ofalinement arrangement of the door hinges causes relative movementbetween the two half-door frames, whereas, were the two frames to berigidly connected, the disalinement of thevhinges would, in the absenceof means for allowing relative movement between hinges, set up a bindingaction which would preventv proper door swing.

By reason of the last-mentioned feature, I am able to employ flushhinges for the inclosure door,even though the car on which theinstallation is made has hinges which are considerably Voffset from theface of the body door.

I will point out further features of novelty and objects of theinvention in the following detailed description, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in which Figure lis aside elevation of anautomobile equipped with my structure;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section on line 2,-2 of Fig. l; v

Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1'; v i Y'Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on line lf-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig., 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevahind the side curtains andpanels.

tion of the door frame and its mounting as viewed from the interior ofthe car; and

Figures 6, 7 and 8 are diagrammatic views illustrating certainprinciples of operation which will be fully set forth in the body of thespecification.

1n Figure 1 I have shown my invention applied to an automobile equippedwith a socalled California top 10, wherein the rear compartment 11 ofthe car is partially inclosed by glass side panels 12 which aresupported within semi-rigid side curtain 13.

f l/Vhen in storage (or out of operative position) the inclosure doorstructure, generally indicated at 14, is adapted to be concealed be-However, this showing of the invention in connection with a particulartype of top is not to be construed as in any way limiting the inventionto this specific application, for it may be applied to carsv havingflexible or removable side curtains, or a fixed, partially enclosingpanel may be installed on cars which come from the factory with theirsides entirely open between the side of the body and their collapsibletops.

Furthermore, while I have illustrated and will describe a structurewhich closes off only the rear compartment of the vehicle (in otherwords. makes a semi-closed car out of an open car) the door structuremay be duplicated for the'front compartment of the car and thereby serveto convert an open car into a fullclosed car.

I will first assign numerals to certain standard parts of the vehicle,so future reference to these parts in their association with my devicemay be more readily followed. Body 15 has a door 16 swung on hinges A,and, for the time being, we will assume these hinges are in verticalalinement and substantially flush with the outer face of the body anddoor. The upper edge 18 of body 15 is in horizontal alinement with theupper` edge 19 oi door 16 when' the latter is closed, and

.overlying and substantially paralleling edges 13 and 19 is the top railor bow 20 which. extends lengthwise of the car and may serve as themarginal brace for top 10.

Secured to rail 20, or to any other suitable supiporting member carriedby Vtop 10, is the track 21, upon which hangers 22 are adapted to slidelongitudinally of the car. Suspended from hangers is the L-shapedattachment member 23 which preferably includes an upright 24V and a.horizontal rail 25.

Hinged on upright 24 at B is the door supporting frame 26 which includesposts 27 and 28 and top or cross-bar 29. Hinged at C to post 28 is thedoor 30 which includes a transparent panel 31. It is evident thatattachment member 23, frame 26 and door 30 may be swung into a commonvertical plane (which relative positions they are adapted to assume whenin storage) or that the lframe and door` may be swung on theirrespective hinges to bring them into diiferent vertical planes.

Vhen the elements thereof are nested so as to lie ina common verticalplane, the assembly j ust described may be moved along track 21longitudinally of the car and behind curtain 13, where they will be outof sight from the exterior of the car and will entirely clear thedoorway in the car body. An angle iron guide 32, paralleling track 21,may be secured on the upper edge 18 of the car body, and serve to retainthe lower edge of the inclosure door and its associated structure in aposition adjacent curtain 13.

Since, when in storage, the inclosure door structure lies behind curtain13 and hence back of the outer face of the body, and since it isdesirable that the out-er face of door 30 be approximately flush, guide32 and track 21 are disposed angularly with respect to the outer .faceof body 15, the forward end of track 2l being so disposed that it bringsthe forward post 23 substantially flush with the outer face of the bodywhen the nested door structure is moved to the position of Fig. 1. Thestructure is thereafter moved within itself, in a manner to bedescribed, to bring door 3() flush with door 16.

First, let us assume an ideal condition wherein hinges A are in verticalalinement, and with the structure moved as above described, hinges C arein axial alinement with hinges A., or that a slight movement of frame 2Gon hinges B suffices both to bring hinges A and C into axial alinementand to bring the hinged side of door 30 flush with door 16.

Then by swinging door 30 outwardly on hinges C, the two complementaryhalf-doors 30 and 16 may be brought into flush register and by tieingthem together by latches 33, or

any other suitable tie or clamp devices, the two doors cooperate to forma composite door for the rear compartment. and C are in axial alinement,the twodoors swing as one and without any relative movement between themor their hinges.

ln order to differentiate between doorslG and 30 in the appended claims,I will there refer to door 16 as body door and to door 30 as a halfdoor.

ln certain situations the ideal conditions above noted may be broughtabout without the use of 'the hinged connection between door frame 26and attachment member 23, and in such situations the separate attachmentmember 23 may be eliminated, and said door frame may be attacheddirectly to hangers 22. 1 wish it to be understood that this variationlies within the scope of my broader claims, as does also a variationwherein the door frame is moved to and from operative position byswinging it through a horizontal plane about hinges B; that is, insteadof sliding the frame to and from a position behind curtain 13,'at-

Since hinges A Vlill) enh tachment member 23 might be capable of littleor no v sliding movement, but byl properly lmounting hinges B the doorframemight be swung through compartment 11 Afrom the position to Fig. `1to a position behind curtain 13.

Fig. 2 illustrates the position of the structure when it has been firstmoved out of storage, itr being assumed that hinges C exactly superposehinges A. Figure 3 shows door 30a-s having been swung outwardly onhinges C until the forward edge of said door is approximately flush withdoor 16, in which posit-ion it is clamped by latches 33. y

Even though hinges A and C are not vin axial alinement when the doorsare rigidly clamped together, the device, still functions effectivelyand without interference or door bind. To discuss this phase, letvr usassume a case where hinges A project considerably from the side of body15, hence making it impossible to line up flush hinges C v.withoutswinging frame 26 on hinges B to such an extent that door 30 wouldproject considerably beyond door 16, an undesirable condition.

In Fig. 6, hinge A is shown as considerably offset with respect to hingeC,`and yet 'doors 16 and SOare tied against relative movement. As door16 swings outwardly about vA, hinges C move both rearwardly andoutwardly. The rearward movement is accommodated by the longitudinalmovement of the entire frame 26 and attachment member23, hinges B movingback'todotted lineposition. Theoutward movement is accommodated by theframe 26 swingingoutwardly about hinges B. Cf course, during doorclosing movements, Vframe 26 moves longitudinally and forwardly alongtrack 21 and the frame swingsinwardly abouthinges B.

Thus, relative movement occurs between vthe frames (body 15- and frame26) of the two `doors rather'thanrbetween their points of pivotalmounting, and therefore theztwo doors are free to swing-,as one withouthinge interference and 'without either rdoor binding. ,Another conditionmet w1th,1s the positioning ofhmgesA so they are out of verticalalinement. This condition arises due to the bow shape of some doors,thatis, the door bows inwardly at its lower edge. Consider Fig. 7, where anexaggerated example of this condition is shown to exist. The common D ofhinges A inclines with respect to the vertical rand hence door 16 willswing to the dotted line position when open. However, doorBO preferablyextends vertically when closed and in order that door 30 may follow door16 during pivotal movement thereof, hinges C may be offset as shown'inthis figure, so they are coaxial with hinges A. However, "with the useof my hinged door frame-itis not necessary to resort to `offset hinges Cfor accomplishing the desired end,

for hinges C may be flush, as previously described, andasdiagrammatically indicated in i Fig. 8, without destroying theeffectiveness of the device even under the body hinge condif hinges Cand said frame lis made of material havlng-suiiicient resiliency toryield somewhat and allow the Vframe to bend and `twist sufficiently toaccommodate the differential movement of the upper and lowerparts ofdoor 30 and the Vvariable inclinationof said door as it swings abouthinges C. 1

It will be noted that track 21 extends clear tothe front of the car sodoor structure 111', or a duplicate thereof, may be moved forwardly toyenclose forward compartment Fand to bring door 30 into register withbody 'door.G. As soon as structure 111 is moved forwardly a suliicientdistance to clear curtain 13 and guide 32, its lower edgeis unconfinedand free and therefore the kstructure may be rocked about track 21,transversely of body 15, until the two doors are locked infalinement.This featureis of value for various reasons, for instance, in someinstances the back H of the front seat projects lbeneath i track 21, andtherefore, in moving past this back, the door structure'may be swungoutwardly l,to avoid interference.

It will be understood that while vI have illustrated a preferredembodiment of my device', the drawings and description are to beconsideredV merely as illustrative of and not restrictive on the broaderclaims appended hereto, and therefore I do knot wish to be limited tothe struct-ure shown and described except for such limitations as a fairinterpretation of the appended claims may import. v Having described apreferredforniof my invention, I'claim: i

1. 1n an inclosure for the compartment of an automobile body having ahinged door opening to the compartment, a door structure slidablelongitudinally along the upper edge of the body door` int-oand out"of'operative position and including a half-door which is complementaryto and is movable vfhingedly with the-body door whenthe door structureis in operative position, and attachmentmeans connecting Vthe body anddoor structure and adapted to allow relative movementtherebeopening tothe compartment, a door structure yslidable longitudinally alongtheupper edge of the body door into and out of operative position andincluding a half-door which is complementary to and is movable hingedlywith the body door when the door structure isin .operative position,attachment means connecting the bodyjand'door structure and adaptedto'allow relative movement thcrebe Cil tween whereby the door structure isslidable into and outl of operative position without beingdetachedfrom'the body, and means for detachably coupling the two doors when theyare in complement.

3. In a movable inclosure for the compartment of an automobile havingahinged door, a door structure that includes a frame which is slidablelongitudinally along said hinged door into and out otl operativeposition with respect thereto, a door hinged to the frame andcomplementary to the body door, means for supporting the frame from thebody, and means for securingthe two doors together.

4. In a movable inclosure for the compartment oi" an automobile having ahinged door, a door structure that' includes a iframe, a door hinged tothe frame and complementary to the body door, means tor securing thedoors together and against relative movement. and means for connectingthe traine and body whereby they are capable of relative movement toallow said doors to swing upon their hinges irrespective of the relativeposition of said hinges. i

5. In an inclosure for the compartment of an automobile that has a topspaced above the body of the vehicle and that has a hinged door in thebody, a track supported by said top and extending longitudinally oi' theautomobile, a door structure that includes a hinged half-doorcomplementary to the body door, said structure being suspended from thetrack and movable therealong in a manner to carry said half-door intoand out of vertical alinement with said body door, said body door andsaid haltl door each beingy hingedly movable when in vertical alinement.

6. In an inclosure for the compartment of an automobile having a hingeddoor in its body, a door structure that includes a frame, and ahalt-door hinged to the :trame and coml'ilemen'tary to the body door,said iframe beinn` slidableflonoitudinall along the un )er r-v 2D L edgeof the body door into vand out of operative position, whereby saidhalf-door is movable into and out of vertical alinement. with the bodydoor without detaching said f irameiroin said body.

7. In an inclosure for the compartment of an automobile having-'a hingeddoor in its body, a door structure that includes a frame, a halt-doorhinged. to the 'frame and complementary to the body door, said tramebeing slidable longitudinally along the upper edge of the body door intoand out of operative position whereby said half-door is movable into andout of vertical alinement with the body door without detaching saidframe from said body, and means for detachably coupling the two doorswhen they are in alinement. f

8. In an inclosure for the compartment of an automobile having a hingeddoor, a door structure that includes a frame, a door hinged tothe frameand complementary to the body door, said frame being movably mounted onthe body whereby said half-door is movable into andV out of verticalalinement with the body door without detaching said framefrom f saidbody, and means for detaehably coupling the two doors and holding themagainst relative movement when they are in alinement; said body andframe being capable of relative movement after the doors are coupled.

9. In an inclosure for the compartment of Van automobile having a hingeddoor, a door structure that includes a frame, and a doorA hinged to theframe and complementary to the body door, said frame being movablelongitudinally and pivotally on the body whereby said halt-door ismovable into and out of vertical alinement with the body door withoutdetaching said frame from said body.

- 10. In an inclosure for the compartment of an automobile having ahinged door, a door structure that includes a trame, a door khinged tothe frame and complementary to the body door, said frame being movablelongitudinally and pivotally on the body whereby said half-door ismovable into and out of vertical alinement with the body door withoutdetaching said frame from said body,and means for detachably couplingthe two doors when in alinement, said body and frame being capable ofrelative longitudinal and pivotal movement when the ydoors ,are coupled.

l1. In an inclosure for the compartment of an automobile having a hingeddoor, a door structue that includes an attachment member longitudinallymovable over the side of the compartment, a frame hinged to theattachment member and movable through a horizontal plane about itshinges, and a halfdoor hinged to said trame and complementary to thebody door; the attachment member being movable to carry saidl'ial'-doorinto and out of alinement with the body door.

12. In an inclosure for the compartment oit an automobile having ahinged door, a door structure that includes an attachment vmemberlongitudinally movable over the side ot the compartment, :i frame hingedtothe attachment member and movable through a horizontal plane about itshinges, a half-door Vhinged to said frame and complementary to the bodydoor; the attachment member being movable to carry said half-door intoand out of alinement with the body door; said frame and half-door beingso relatively mounted that they are Capable of simultaneous pvotalmovement in opposite directions about their hinges; and means fordetaehably clamping the two doors against relative movement when theyare in alinement.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I 10 have hereunto subscribed myname this 10th day ofMay, 1924.

CHARLES E. RUTTAN.

